Aston Villa Women complete third summer signing as Danielle Turner joins from Everton
Aston Villa Women have confirmed the signing of defender Danielle Turner from Women’s Super League rivals Everton.
The 30-year-old has spent her entire career so far at Everton aside from a brief loan spell in Iceland back in the 2012-13 season.
She left the club this summer after 15 years and headed to the Midlands, with Villa confirming her signing via their website on Monday morning (11 July).
Turner appeared in all but one of Everton’s matches last season as they finished in 10th, one place below Villa.
She is the second player to join Carla Ward’s side from Everton after Simone Magill made the same move last week.
A strong signing for Villa
Turner is a vastly experienced defender and is exactly the sort of player that Villa need.
She captained Everton for the last five years after helping The Toffees win promotion out of the Women’s Championship in 2017.
Villa are currently short on WSL experience after Anita Asante retired and Remi Allen picked up a long-term injury, so bringing in Turner is a big move for the club.
Allen’s absence opens up the captaincy and Turner could be a solid candidate given her previous leadership experience
However, there are naturally going to be concerns over her fitness.
Turner wrote a column for the Liverpool Echo back in January to tell the story of her injury struggles from the previous season, but she seemed to shake them off.
Villa have already been hit with a major injury blow this summer after Magill broke down with a serious knee injury on international duty with Northern Ireland the day after signing for Villa.
With Allen also being out for much of the season, the club will want to avoid any further long-term issues.
If Villa can keep her fit, Turner will be a solid addition for Villa as they look to push on next season.
In other Aston Villa news, Diego Carlos shone on his Villa debut and looks to be building a solid partnership with Tyrone Mings.